ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Nov., 'l6 



The sequence is that of Hampson's Catalogue and \ve have 

 in general confined ourselves in this article to those genera the 

 genotype of which, as determined by our method, is markedly 

 different from that as determined by Hampson. 



Heliothis Ochs., 1816. 



Type designated by Duponchel (1829, Lep. Fr. VII (2) p. 71) as 

 dipsacca L. and confirmed by Curtis (1836, Br. Ent.), Westwood (Gen. 

 Syn. 1840), Guenee (1852, Hist. Nat. Lep. Noct. II, 181), and Grote 

 (1874, Buff. Bull. II, 35). Hampson's conception of the genus with 

 cardui Esp. as type cannot stand ; Heliothis will replace Chloridca 

 West, as used by Hampson. 

 Melicleptria Hbn. (1825). 



Type designated by Grote (1. c. I, 116, 1873) as cardui Hbn. Anthoecia 

 Bdv. (1840) will fall before Melicleptria, the type having been desig- 

 nated by Guenee (1852, 1. c. 11, 187) as cardui Hbn. This genus will 

 replace Heliothis as used by Hampson, whilst Canthylidia Butl. may 

 apparently be used for his conception of Melicleptria. 



Agrotis Ochs. (1816). 



Type designated by Curtis (1827, Brit. Ent.) as scgetum Schiff. and 

 confirmed by Westwood (1839) and Grote (1874). Hampson places 

 scgetum in Eii.roa, owing doubtless to the slightly tuberculate front; 

 the male genitalia as figured by Burrows & Pierce (Gen. Brit. Noct.) 

 show however a structure of the harpe quite dissimilar to the bifid one 

 characteristic of Grote's genus Carncades which is made a synonym 

 of Eu.roa by Hampson. The type of Euxoa has been fixed by Hamp- 

 son as decora Schiff. and a study of the genitalia of this species will 

 be necessary before we can determine with certainty the correct usage 

 of these three genera. According to J. B. Smith's revision of the 

 Agrotid moths segetiun is structurally very closely related to ypsil^n 

 so that very possibly Hampson's usage of Agrotis may be in a broad 

 sense correct. 

 Noctua Linn (1758). 



The first real designation of the type of this genus seems to have 

 been by Latreille in 1810 as pronuba Linn., Duponchel's designation of 

 exclamationis L. as type in 1829 being thus invalid. Pronuba being 

 designated by Duponchel (1829) as the type of Triphacna Ochs. it 

 would seem that Triphacna falls as a synonym of Xoctua L. In any 

 case Hampson's usage of Noctua with stri.v as type and of Triphacna 

 (which he credits to Hitbner) with inter jccta as type will certainly not 

 hold. Pronuba is placed by Hampson under Agrotis and, if this asso- 

 ciation be correct, it will cause Agrotis possibly to fall before Xoctita, 

 but as we have already stated more careful study of the structure of 



